Critique

Last week is over! I can't believe I was in New York for spring break a week ago. It seems like that was months ago. More than two-thirds of the semester are complete and in the large scheme of things it has gone by faster than Phelps, but on a day-to-day reality it's more on the level of training for a half-marathon -- long and tedious. 

Things have become easier over the past 10 weeks and new challenges have surfaced. The phrase 'take it with a grain of salt' has become more of a daily reminder towards everything and the feeling of stress has become a medically unsolved mystery, but other than that, life couldn't be more great! I keep asking myself what I am going to do on Monday, May 17, and honestly, I have no idea. I don't know what I am going to do with myself when I don't have 500 things to do in each 24 window -- somehow though, I think I will survive.

After completing two editing exams, a Storage presentation, a personal web site critique, and a couple of papers (for those other classes I'm taking but never write about) the week finally finished with a gorgeous sunny Friday afternoon. Although I can't boast about much, I had three cover designs for the April 16 issue of Vox. I did a couple of very simple typography covers about Earth Day but it was pretty pathetic. Luckily, we got the weekend to work on our originals and resubmit them this morning. 

The cover story, as of last night, was still not finalized so I was designing around two different themes -- Earth Day and School Safety. Very opposite I know, but both were fun to work with. Here are the designs I submitted this morning. 

For Earth Day:

For School Safety:

Return to Reality

Getting away from Columbia for a few days was great. Being back in New York was great -- even though I always had GRE study cards, grammar notes, and my sketchbook with me, I was still able to relax, have fun and get away from the everyday stress that inevitably comes with the last six weeks of college. 

Most people imagine a vacation to be a getaway from reality, a time to be carefree and welcome laziness with open arms while practicing schedule-free days. On the contrary, I get bored... quickly when I take a "vacation" like that for more than... two to three days. For me, New York is a vacation. I don't have to be connected to my e-mail 24/7 because I can truthfully say, "I was on the subway and I didn't have a signal." It's so nice. Above all, I enjoy the fact that I can read more for pleasure when I am in the city opposed to any other time. Riding the subway is one of the best ways for me to de-stress and relax, it's a free opportunity for "me time." 

One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more, out side of school requirements that is. Last summer while I lived in the city I was finishing close to two books a week. I haven't been able to do that since I was in high school, if ever. When I am in Columbia, finding the time to read books leisurely is nearly impossible. I really think the subway is a big reason I like the city so much. I just have to get on, sit down, and ride -- not controlling a thing. I have no internet, no cell phone signal, nothing, and it's actually fantastic. Last week I was able to read a couple of books that I have been meaning to read for a while now. 

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture was the first book I read and could not put down. I read it walking in the city, sitting in the subway, eating lunch, pretty much anywhere I could. If 

you don't have time to read the book, at least check out the video on YouTube. It was inspiring to read this book while I was job hunting and searching for apartments. One of my favorite comments from Randy is this, "We can not change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

I suggest picking up the book. It is a quick read and has thought filled information that will benefit you at any age, time or place in your life. 

Now that I am back in Columbia, after driving through a snow globe -- literally, driving from Kansas City airport to Columbia was full of snow

... so much for Spring! With only 47 days left until graduation I can't begin to get "senioritis," I have to much to do, and too little time to finish it all. 

We met this morning to present updates of our website projects with faculty and the publishing team. It went well and the feedback we received was helpful. I keep thinking that "once we get more concrete, this is will become easier," but I'm pretty sure I'll graduate before that happens and we are scheduled to finish in about a month. Deep breath. We'll get it all done... always do. Here are some of the redesign elements we worked on. Let us know your opinion on which you like, what you would change, etc. 

The Original: 

The Redesign:

more work to show

Here are some updates on the work I have been doing in the past week; I know I have posted about it all numerous times but I haven't shown it. Well ta-da: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the published.

The series of pictures is the progression of where my thoughts started with the concept of bed and breakfast and where they ended, or how they ended I should say.

As you can see my thought process changed quite a bit while working with the theme of bed and breakfast.  The top  is the finished product, and the order of the pictures shows the progression of designs I went through before deciding on a concept and final design. I wanted to play off  the idea of old vs. new, to get the feature a "Vox feel." Once I did the color vs. black and white, half and half approach, I wanted to run with it. Finding the right image was crucial. As you can see from the blue image I only found a black and white photo and had to show interpret what I meant on my own. But the idea sold and we went with it. I think the cover turned out nice, classic, "kitchy" if you will. 

Critique

Short Talk pg. 4
Originally uploaded by maggie searcy

I'm not a fast designer. A good thing? A bad thing? Does it really matter about speed of design -- putting aside the relevance of working on a deadline. But does it matter about the amount of time spent? If one person designs a draft or a department page in two hours versus someone who does it in five... it is really crucial? I guess it depends on the product, but like macro versus micro, I look at all the details in the beginning whereas I could and maybe I should design in a macro sense and focus on the larger picture in the beginning and follow up with the details in the end... time permitting.
To me the latter seems counter productive beacuase there is the possibility for poor execution and misunderstanding. By no means am I inquiring that my way is the right way, but is there a right way?
This past weekend I designed the short talk department for this week's issue of VOX. I do like my final product, but Sunday I was reminded of nearly all of the ramifications and guidelines that come with designing department pages. I was having flashbacks of what I learned, and struggled with in the beginning at Redbook: a great learning experience that is benefiting me greatly right now.

Starting before 11 o'clock Sunday morning I did not finish until nearly 4:30. Oh, the deadline for all department pages is 5; so I cut it a little close, but was even home before 5. So why am I worried? I'm not necessarily worried, just frustrated that it takes me so long. I was so worried about following the guidelines and the details laying out the spread.
Next time I design a department page for Short Talk, I hope to accomplish a good product quicker. Now that I have a better understanding of the rules and how "the rules can be broken," I believe I will have a better execution and use my time more wisely.

Click here for the second page of the spread.

Critique

I will be up front and honest, I am my own toughest critic. This past week I got my first assignment for VOX magazine: a cover and feature competition. Along with 16 other designers, we each came up with our own concept and designs. 

No pressure right? Wrong! I sketched for a couple days trying to come up with ideas, I brainstormed for hours, but literally the the light bulb never turned on. With lack of creative juice flowing in my veins for the past several days, I was stuck. Eventually I had to stop avoiding the assignment and just do it... whether or not I got inspired. 

Result = disaster... trash... an embarrassing product. 

Working on the cover I thought, "

okay this is going to be cool, I can do a lot of things with this." Too ba

d I tried to think "symbolically" and missed the boat by several feet. After working on a photo illustration of a couple band members in an ornate building, I 

decided that it was good, but not relative. Therefore I went back to the starting block. "Be seen. Be heard..." I got attached to this head because it was a literal interpretation of my symbolic graphic. The cover story is about musicians who are beginning  to license out individual songs as opposed to waiting to be signed with a company. These songs are being used in television shows, movies, etc. 

Secondly, the feature. A story about the economy, but localized. The story is amazing and I really wish I could have done something to give it justice, but this might have been one of the worst designs I've actually saved, and printed. 

A redesign of both will be coming soon, including an improvement.